Air valve for electronics enclosures

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9523432-B2
Application number	US-201514870248-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 30, 2015
Priority date	Jan 9, 2014
Publication date	Dec 20, 2016
Grant date	Dec 20, 2016

Abstract

A method includes rotating a first elongated, inlet-side member of an air valve toward an open configuration when a fan blade is rotating and rotating the first inlet-side member to toward a closed configuration when the fan blade is not rotating. The air valve includes a frame and a sheet of thin material. The frame may have an outlet-side member configured to be mounted on a fan housing and the inlet-side member rotatably coupled to the outlet-side member. The material may have top and bottom edges, and a plurality of folds perpendicular to the top and bottom side edges that divide the sheet into a plurality of sections. The material may be attached to the outlet-side member and the inlet-side member, and configurable between folded and expanded positions.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for preventing air from flowing through a fan comprising:
rotating a first elongated inlet-side member of an air valve toward an open configuration when a fan blade is rotating; and
rotating the first elongated inlet-side member to toward a closed configuration when the fan blade is not rotating;
wherein the air valve includes:
a frame having:
a first elongated outlet-side member having a first centrally located pivot point for attachment of a pin and a spring, and configured to be mounted in a fixed position, and
the first elongated inlet-side member having a second centrally located pivot point for receiving the pin, and a first end having a first magnetic component attached thereto, the first elongated inlet-side member being rotatably coupled to the first elongated outlet-side member by the pin,

a first sheet of thin material having top, bottom, first, and second side edges, and a plurality of folds perpendicular to the top and bottom side edges that divide the first sheet of thin material into a plurality of sections, wherein the first sheet of thin material is configurable between a folded position in which the sections are folded together and an expanded position in which the sections are unfolded, the first side edge of the first sheet of thin material being attached to the first elongated outlet-side member and the second side edge of the sheet of thin material being attached to the first elongated inlet-side member; and
wherein the air valve is in the open configuration when the first sheet of thin material is in a folded position and in the closed configuration when the material is in an expanded position wherein an attraction between the first magnetic component and a second magnetic component in the fan blade translates rotational energy of the fan blade to the first elongated inlet-side member when the fan blade is rotating, causing the first elongated inlet-side member to rotate toward the open configuration.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the frame further comprises a frame having:
a second elongated outlet-side member attached to the first elongated outlet-side member, and
a second elongated inlet-side member attached to the first elongated inlet-side member; and
wherein the air valve further comprises: second, third, and fourth sheets of thin material.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the air valve is attached to a first fan.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the air valve is attached to a first fan of an enclosure having the first fan and a second fan.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first sheet of thin material is biaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate.

6. A method for preventing air from flowing through a fan comprising:
rotating a first elongated inlet-side member of an air valve toward an open configuration when a fan blade is rotating; and
rotating the first elongated inlet-side member to toward a closed configuration when the fan blade is not rotating;
wherein the air valve includes:
a frame having:
a first elongated outlet-side member having a first centrally located pivot point for attachment of an axle and a spring, and configured to be mounted in a fixed position, and
the first elongated inlet-side member having a second centrally located pivot point for receiving the axle, and a first end having a first magnetic component attached thereto, the first elongated inlet-side member being rotatably coupled to the first elongated outlet-side member by the axle,
a plurality of interleaved sections, each section constructed of a first sheet of thin material having a triangular shape and a hook flange at opposite edges to interlock with an adjacent section, wherein the first sheet of thin material is configurable between a folded position in which the sections are folded together and an expanded position in which the sections are unfolded,
wherein the air valve is in an open configuration when the first sheet of thin material is in the folded position and in a closed configuration when the material is in an expanded position wherein an attraction between the first magnetic component and a second magnetic component in the fan blade translates rotational energy of the fan blade to the first elongated inlet-side member when the fan blade is rotating, causing the first elongated inlet-side member to rotate toward the open configuration.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the frame further includes:
a second elongated outlet-side member attached to the first elongated outlet-side member, and
a second elongated inlet-side member attached to the first elongated inlet-side member; and
wherein the air valve further comprises: second, third, and fourth sheets of thin material.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the air valve is attached to a first fan.

9. The method of claim 6 , wherein the air valve is attached to a first fan of an enclosure having the first fan and a second fan.

10. The method of claim 6 , wherein the first sheet of thin material is biaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Anderl William J
• Elison Bret P
• Mann Phillip V
• Moore Arden L
• Sinha Arvind K

Classifications

• F16K31/086

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• H05K7/20727

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• H05K7/20181

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• F16K3/0245

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• F16K3/03

  with a closure member in the form of an iris-diaphragm · CPC title